Bais HaVaad on the Parsha, Parshas Bemidbar

Lion’s Milk

May 14, 2026

Excerpted and adapted from a shiur by Rav Yehoshua Sova

Those who encamp to the front, at the east, shall be the division of the camp of Yehudah according to their armies…they shall be the first to journey.

Bemidbar 2:3,9

Why was Sheivet Yehudah first? Yehudah is king of the shvatim, compared by Yaakov to the lion (Bereishis 49), king of the animals. The king takes the lead and shoulders responsibility for the others. To properly fulfill this role, Yehudah had to be in front.

The Shulchan Aruch opens with the directive that a person must strengthen himself like a lion upon arising in the morning. One reason for eating dairy on Shavuos is because after Matan Torah, Klal Yisrael wished to celebrate immediately with food and did not have time to study the halachos required for eating meat, like shechitah and basar bechalav (Rama O.C. 494). Why should what we eat on Shavuos be determined by the fact that Klal Yisrael wanted to celebrate Matan Torah immediately? This highlights the importance of acting with alacrity and taking immediate action.